a long story
noun
: a description of how something happened that is complicated to explain
"Why are you late?" "It's a long story. I'll tell you later."
Examples of a long story in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Cutting a long story short, a vocal minority of reactionary gamers is perturbed that a sci-fi video game features a Black samurai protagonist, despite the game’s hokey premise centering on the genetic recording of memories written to computer software.
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Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2025
To make a long story short, the US monitors recorded a split-second event on March 8, 1968 at 11:59:47 pm that could have been a submarine breaking up.
—David Szondy, New Atlas, 4 Jan. 2025
The City and Its Uncertain Walls, Murakami’s 15th novel, began as a long story published in the literary magazine Bungakukai in 1980.
—Bailey Trela, Vulture, 19 Nov. 2024
There are plenty of colourful stories about the exploits of Icelandic bankers at that time, but to cut a long story short, when the global financial crisis struck in October 2008, the Icelandic banking system quickly collapsed.
—Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024
Make a long story short, Eddie started doing very nicely taking a late-night bit for us.
—Chet Flippo, Vulture, 3 July 2024
To make a long story short, Grifol did not succeed, leaving the Sox in their current situation, looking for their sixth manager since 2020 after Rick Renteria, La Russa, Miguel Cairo, Grifol and Grady Sizemore.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 6 Oct. 2024
In a long story about Ruben Gallego, Kari Lake and Arizona politics Nuzzi wrote for New York in April, her interactions with Gallego sound more friendly than those with Lake, but that fits into Lake’s attack-the-media posing.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 21 Sep. 2024
Garten had just begun telling me a long story about a spur-of-the-moment trip to Paris when Brown, her assistant, interrupted us with news that the tour group had arrived at her gate.
—Molly Fischer, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024
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Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2025
To make a long story short, the US monitors recorded a split-second event on March 8, 1968 at 11:59:47 pm that could have been a submarine breaking up.
—David Szondy, New Atlas, 4 Jan. 2025
The City and Its Uncertain Walls, Murakami’s 15th novel, began as a long story published in the literary magazine Bungakukai in 1980.
—Bailey Trela, Vulture, 19 Nov. 2024
There are plenty of colourful stories about the exploits of Icelandic bankers at that time, but to cut a long story short, when the global financial crisis struck in October 2008, the Icelandic banking system quickly collapsed.
—Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024
Make a long story short, Eddie started doing very nicely taking a late-night bit for us.
—Chet Flippo, Vulture, 3 July 2024
To make a long story short, Grifol did not succeed, leaving the Sox in their current situation, looking for their sixth manager since 2020 after Rick Renteria, La Russa, Miguel Cairo, Grifol and Grady Sizemore.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 6 Oct. 2024
In a long story about Ruben Gallego, Kari Lake and Arizona politics Nuzzi wrote for New York in April, her interactions with Gallego sound more friendly than those with Lake, but that fits into Lake’s attack-the-media posing.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 21 Sep. 2024
Garten had just begun telling me a long story about a spur-of-the-moment trip to Paris when Brown, her assistant, interrupted us with news that the tour group had arrived at her gate.
—Molly Fischer, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024
Dictionary Entries Near a long story
Cite this Entry
“A long story.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20long%20story. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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